Tuesday, September 15, 2009

A Picture in Perseverance

per⋅se⋅ver⋅ance  [pur-suh-veer-uhns]
–noun
1.steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.
2.Theology - continuance in a state of grace to the end, leading to eternal salvation.

Perseverance has, in many ways, become my personal motto. When people ask me how things are progressing with regard to my writing career and what it is like compared to what I used to do in the corporate world, I often respond that I have been learning the art of perseverance and patience.

Not long ago, I wrote about some significant changes that took place in the green space behind our house and backyard. In order to add power lines, the electric company first had to eliminate all the blackberries, bushes, and wild plants; then, piece by piece, they took down two incredibly large maple trees.

After the hard labor was complete, what remained was trampled ground, primarily consisting of wood chips.

But, two weeks ago, I was standing at the kitchen sink when a burst of color caught my eye. Just beyond our fence, a beautiful, bright sunflower had bloomed amidst the wreckage.

Now that's perseverance, I thought. It's not the grandest of sunflowers, but it survived nonetheless and blossomed at just the right time.

A great reminder for me that - with hard work and perseverance - good things will bloom.

26 comments:

Susan R. Mills said...

Perseverance is the most important thing, isn't it? Without it, we can't achieve anything.

lisa and laura said...

This is exactly what I needed to read today. THANK YOU.

Danyelle L. said...

Very true! It's hard at times, but worth it when it's time to bloom. :D

Yat-Yee said...

A burst of color amidst trampled woodchips: what a beautiful reminder of what the place used to be.

Jeff B said...

Nice editing in your first picture. How cool of that sunflower to show itself for you.

Kelly Polark said...

Beautiful flower and great reminder. Us writers do persevere! It is hard to be patient sometimes!

Stephanie Faris said...

People applaud my perseverance but I simply tell them I have no other choice. I tried to get away from writing but ended up blogging, which led me to fans, which led me to realize I couldn't stop writing. Even if I never get published, I've touched thousands of lives already with my writing, even though it wasn't with a novel, plus I've written every day...and tried and tried to get published. In the end, it's all about doing what you love. Money is just icing on the cake.

PJ Hoover said...

What a wonderful sign of hope!
it's kind of like Wall-E, right?

Ginger*:) said...

What a fantastic and delightful surprise! Hard times are always tempered by the joy that follows when we realize how life insists on renewing itself against all odds.

Keri Mikulski said...

So true! Love this post. :)

JennyMac said...

Bravo. Great post.

lotusgirl said...

perseverance is what will get us there in the end.

C.R. Evers said...

awesome post and beautiful flower! I love these kind of reminders.

Cathy C. Hall said...

You WILL succeed if you keep writing.
Great photo, wonderful post!

Kelly H-Y said...

So fun to read all your comments!! Thanks for visiting!
You are so right, PJ ... it's EXACTLY like Wall-E!! Too funny!

Anonymous said...

There is always something amazing about beauty growing in a barren place.

Beth Kephart said...

I felt a warm shiver (yes, warm shiver) of happiness as I read this just now. Or perhaps the word is peace.

Rebecca Ramsey said...

That's a great story! So true!

Sherrie Petersen said...

I want to be the picture of perseverance. Someday I will :)

Clementine said...

What a beautiful story. Thanks for the reminder!

CC said...

Wow. I can't even grow a sun flower when I try! ;)

Sarah Laurence said...

You have the right attitude to survive in the crazy industry of publishing. I love the photo of the sunflower – it says it all.

Shelli (srjohannes) said...

i read this quote: you cant have perserverence without challenging times.

so true.

I guess i have perserverence :)

Lynnette Labelle said...

Both the picture and your words were beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

Lynnette Labelle
http://lynnettelabelle.blogspot.com

Kelly H-Y said...

Love, love your comments! Thanks for visiting!

Phyllis Harris said...

I really love this post and sunflowers are my favorite flower so I'm a sucker for any photo of a sunflower.

I agree perseverance is so important, especially in the kid's book business! My favorite quote on perseverance is by Calvin Coolidge: "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."